Coast Guard Captain of the Port Closes Ports in Hawaii

HONOLULU — Coast Guard Captain of the Port has closed ports for Big Island, Maui County to include the islands of Molokai and Lanai, and Oahu to all traffic. All cargo operations in these ports will be secured by 6 p.m. Thursday.

Vessels transiting within the vicinity of the Hawaiian Island harbors should seek sheltered waters until storm conditions subside and the Captain of the Port has deemed the ports safe to reopen.

All ocean going commercial vessels and ocean going barges greater than 200 gross tons are expected to make preparations to leave the ports by the following times:

Hawaii (Big Island) Hilo – 4 a.m., Aug. 7, 2014

Hawaii (Big Island) Kawaihae – 7 a.m., Aug. 7, 2014

Maui County Kahului – 9 a.m., Aug. 7, 2014

Maui County Kaunakakai and Kaumalapau – 12 p.m., Aug. 7, 2014

Oahu – 6 p.m., Aug. 7, 2014

Kauai – 4 a.m., Aug. 8, 2014

Once the storm has passed and the threat of severe weather has subsided, the Coast Guard, Army Corp of Engineers and State of Hawaii will jointly conduct surveys of channel blockage and prioritize steps to resume essential, then normal, vessel traffic. These steps are to minimize risk of damage to vessels and assess the conditions of channels, aids to navigation, waterfront facilities, piers and other infrastructure.

The COTP, in conjunction with the state DOT-Harbors in Hawaii, will begin sending Port Assessment Teams to accessible areas of the zone as soon as it is safe to do so at first light Friday.

“I am committed to reopening each port as soon as it is safe to do so,” said Capt. Shannon Gilreath, the Coast Guard Captain of the Port. “If we can reopen a port safely within that time span before Julio, we will do so but it may be with restrictions dependent on the damage the ports sustain.”

The conditions of the ports will be evaluated and changed dependent on the assessment of the ports. If the ports are reopened Friday, the conditions are subject to remain at conditions II or III until Julio has passed.